How Busy Is the M3?
The short answer: between 56,135 and 140,750 vehicles a day, depending entirely on where you join it. The M3 is not one road with one level of traffic — it is a quiet stretch across Hampshire bolted to one of the busiest pieces of motorway in the south of England.
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Latest accident or incident on the M3
The most recent accident or incident on the M3 that we are aware of.
M3 Eastbound Jct 2 to Jct 1 carriageway closure
00:462 Sept 2026reported 10 min ago
- Location
- M3 eastbound between J2 and J1
- Direction
- Eastbound
- Lanes closed
- Carriageway closed
- Reason
- Other
- Schedule
- 22:00 Tue 1 Sept → 05:30 Wed 2 Sept
Latest active roadworks on the M3
Roadworks live on the M3 right now.
A303 eastbound crematorium to M3 carriageway closure
00:462 Sept 2026reported 10 min ago
- Location
- M3 eastbound between J8 and J7
- Direction
- Eastbound
- Lanes closed
- Carriageway closed
- Reason
- Roadworks
- Schedule
- 20:54 Tue 1 Sept → 06:00 Wed 2 Sept
+ 1 more active roadworks - search all M3 traffic news →
Latest planned roadworks on the M3
The next planned roadworks scheduled on the M3.
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Updated 00:57 Wed 2 Sept
Powered by National Highways’ Transport Data Feeds.
The M3 junction by junction, in order
Every mainline stretch the Department for Transport measures, ordered from busiest to quietest, with the traffic broken down by vehicle type. 2025 figures.
| Stretch | Miles | All vehicles | Cars & taxis | Vans | Lorries |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| J13 Chilworth to J14 (M27) | 1.2 | 140,750 | 106,205 | 23,683 | 9,901 |
| J12 Eastleigh to J13 Chilworth | 1.7 | 130,785 | 98,448 | 21,734 | 9,893 |
| J11 Compton to J12 Eastleigh | 3.5 | 128,023 | 96,361 | 21,473 | 9,384 |
| J10 Chilcomb to J11 Compton | 0.8 | 126,217 | 91,827 | 21,990 | 11,545 |
| J3 Lightwater to Kitsmead Lane flyover | 5.5 | 123,417 | 96,314 | 17,926 | 8,271 |
| J4 Frimley to J3 Lightwater | 4.5 | 118,589 | 91,695 | 19,237 | 6,774 |
| Kitsmead Lane flyover to the M25 (J2) | 2.1 | 113,905 | 89,744 | 15,521 | 7,713 |
| J9 Winchester to J10 Chilcomb | 1.4 | 110,741 | 81,374 | 18,377 | 10,404 |
| J6 Basingstoke to J5 Hook | 4.8 | 103,624 | 80,591 | 16,409 | 5,892 |
| J8 A303 to J7 Basingstoke (est.) | 1.2 | 101,834 | 79,146 | 15,874 | 5,995 |
| J5 Hook to J4A Fleet | 7.5 | 96,243 | 75,484 | 14,516 | 5,578 |
| J7 to J6 Basingstoke (est.) | 4.9 | 94,624 | 73,423 | 14,660 | 5,972 |
| J4A Fleet to J4 Frimley | 2.1 | 93,372 | 71,889 | 15,825 | 5,104 |
| J2 (M25) to J1 Sunbury (est.) | 5.8 | 62,848 | 49,554 | 10,905 | 1,892 |
| J9 Winchester to J8 A303 | 11.0 | 56,135 | 41,846 | 10,433 | 3,515 |
Where the M3 changes character
Three places on the M3 change the traffic completely:
- Junction 2, the M25. Around 45% of the traffic swaps motorway here. North of it the M3 carries 62,848 a day; south of it, 113,905.
- Junction 8, the A303. Roughly half the traffic leaves for the West Country, dropping the M3 to its quietest measured stretch.
- Junction 9, the A34. It almost doubles again — 56,135 becomes 110,741 in a single junction, and the lorry share jumps from 6.3% to 9.4%.
From Junction 9 south it never really recovers: 110,741, then 126,217, 128,023, 130,785 and finally 140,750 into the M27 — about 98 vehicles every minute, averaged day and night across the whole year.